Kodansha Limited has announced the acquisition of US publisher Vertical Ltd.

The manga giant purchased the company in conjunction with Dai Nippon Printing, who came away with 46% ownership, Anime News Network reports.

Vertical specialises in translated Japanese fiction and manga. The buy-out is thought to be part of Kodansha's strategy to take control of its material in the West. It previously terminated a licensing agreement with Del Rey Comics in favour of using its own Kodansha Comics imprint.

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Kodansha is a market leader in manga publishing, owning the licenses to popular anime properties Akira, Ghost In The Shell and Oh My Goddess!, among others.